Five Startup Office Hacks You Can Use In Your Small Business

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but boredom is its wicked stepmother. And let’s face it, the office can be a pretty boring and frustrating place – especially for startups who are typically short on staff, time and money. But, it doesn’t have to be.

I’m an engineer by trade - first with
Google and then with
Twitter - and engineers (like many entrepreneurs) are wired to always be looking for the most direct path forward. We love envisioning ourselves as long awaited catalysts pushing things into the future, no matter how seemingly broken or arcane a situation might appear to be. This mindset led me to develop Envoy, but I soon learned I wasn’t alone. There were other people in the world unwilling to accept the dull, inefficiency of the traditional office life. These are the unsung startup heroes and workplace aces behind the “office hack”.

We created the Office Hacks podcast series to celebrate that spirit of inventiveness and share some of the best startup office hacks. Here are some of my favorites from our series that any startup could steal to add a little fun and boost office productivity.

Rethink's Lego wall. Credit: Pacific Content.

Rethink’s Wall of Lego

Even the best creative minds need to step away to refresh and refocus sometimes. Rethink Communications created a hack for mental blocks using literal building blocks of creativity, all while rethinking what can be done with a boring office wall. The answer? LEGOs, naturally! They glued panels of LEGO bases to the wall and set out a giant tub of LEGOs, allowing people to let their minds wander and create 3D designs sprouting off the wall that the whole office, and any visitor, can admire and enjoy. I love how they created an engaging way to let staff blow off steam, bond together and refresh their thoughts by letting them tinker, play, and above all, have fun in a super unique way.

Slack found a super cool way to really keep productivity rolling. They put their conference rooms on wheels. Hear me out. They introduced these mobile pods into the office that are basically self-contained rooms on wheels that can be rolled about and positioned creatively around the office. It gives people a fun way to step away from their desks for a change of pace and to find some alone time. And again, being on wheels, the rooms can be rolled and joined together to create a conference room for some brainstorming. It’s an ingenious hack for the prevailing lack of privacy in the modern work space that’s also insanely fun and unique.

PubNub coffeemaker. Credit: Pacific Content.

PubNub’s Connected Coffeemaker

How many times has this happened: you’re in full-on zombie-mode at work, you’re looking for a hit of coffee, you walk up to the coffee dispenser and... uh oh, it’s out. An engineer at PubNub found a way to avoid that rude awakening (or lack of awakening). They hooked the coffee dispenser to a scale which is connected to a Raspberry Pi device. The result? People are notified when the coffee is close to needing replenishment. Way more efficient, convenient and practical -- and a more productive and motivated workforce!